In my-not-so-humble opinion, in every way that counts as a human soul and creative fountain, Taylor Swift is either an angel or a goddess, maybe both. Her presence in this temporal world of ours at this juncture feels like a gift from whatever God(s) there may be. I admire and adore her to the heavens.
And that esteem doesn’t even factor in the bonus points she wins by being deeply hated by many on the right (but so abominably wrong) wing, a loathing so undeserved for being everything they are not: kind, generous of spirit and with the billionaire’s bounty her talents have earned her, genuinely kind, honorable and principled. In short, a damned good soul.
Swift is also a strong-willed woman, which gets up the noses of misogynists. After a radio DJ groped her from behind during a meet-and-greet photo session, she sued the classless sleazebag for damages of a single dollar. It was litigation not as a cudgel but a moral lesson: treat all women with respect!
She is, fittingly, a gal who grew up on a Christmas tree farm in east-central Pennsylvania. Taylor found her calling at a young age, was a country music star by her teens. Then her music bloomed into a loamy pop chart-bound garden in which she has strummed, sang and danced her way through various genres, permutations and stylistic variations, weaving it all into a fine, bold and colorful tapestry of musicality that is beloved by millions. That is no small feat. And she’s done it with keen determination and aplomb.
I’ve been dipping in for some time, always impressed, damn the snobs, MAGA haters, etc. who diss her. She really won me over with her NPR Tiny Desk concert, a good place to start if you haven’t yet explored her music.
Then, as I was writing this, I came across a Swiftian rave on Facebook by a fellow Leftist journalist, far more accomplished than your humble correspondent: Paul Slansky, humor and politics writer for The New Yorker, Esquire, New Times and other publications and the bestselling author of “The Clothes Have No Emperor,” about the Reagan presidency, as well as other books. He’s another oldster who’s sold on Taylor.
Slansky pointed out another of her feats: “In less than five years she’s put out 135 songs, with not even a dozen less than good ones, and most of them excellent. And if you count the re-records it’s 204. IN LESS THAN FIVE YEARS. No one has ever done this before. No one else comes close. She is so brilliant on so many levels. We’ve really never seen anyone like her.” No kidding….
I keep groping for a musical comparison from the music of my younger years. The only one that comes to mind in the singer-songwriter realm that approaches on a worldwide musical fame and impact level is Elton John. Who Swift has far outpaced and exceeded.
I’ve listened to her latest 16 song double-album release, The Tortured Poets Department, and it’s a fine work. And ignored the blizzard of media speculation chaff about which song may be written about which ex-lover – no matter to me. I’m just glad for her that current boyfriend Travis Kelce is well aware of how lucky he is to have such an amazing woman in his life.
She may not make music aimed at people like Slansky and me, but she’s always a pleasure to listen to. Most men don’t know, but the millions little girls who’ve grown up with her music understand, to adapt the line from Howlin’ Wolf. And so do a few of us canny codgers.
She has integrity, class and character. Songs just pour out of her. She treats her fans like gold (many famed musical acts should heed her example. Her politics are in the smart and correct place, and she and the fans that adore her just might help make a critical difference come November.
Musical Album: Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé – Presented as the R&B superstar’s country record, this 27-song set blasts away the increasingly tired Nashville cliches to deliver a genre-expanding vision that’s a vocal tour de force.
Musical Album: Rockstar by Dolly Parton – Another flip of the stylistic script on which the C&W legend strides her way through some of rock music’s best-known songs with her trademark potent pipes and brio, joined by a murderers’ row of noted guest stars.
Rob Patterson is a music and entertainment writer in Austin, Texas. Email robpatterson054@gmail.com.
From The Progressive Populist, July 1-15, 2024
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